MP3 of the Week: Mr. Burn's Triphop
And so it Begins...
Yes, so marks the end of me posting dates. Replaced with the infamous "Tag Line", or at least I think that is what it is, things change ever so slightly, but still stay the same. The real reason I changed was first of all, it was a pain in the ass to code the date numbers, and second of all, now there will be no record of my flakiness in the posting department. Two birds, one stone, the foot is down, the boot has spoken.
Now what? Well, in an effort to educate my readers on breaking international news of great importance I ask you to turn your attention to the Japanese. Those crazy Japanese girls are at it again. I reported a few months ago how some Japanese girls are refusing to change their underpants. Now, it seems they have taken it one step further. Not only are they refusing to change their underpants, they are not taking showers now. So for all you kids planning that trip to Japan, make sure to stay away from the dirty
school girls. Read all about it here! My favorite quote from this important story is..."Some people walk past and complain that we stink. But, well, that's the truth so there's nothing we can do about it, right?
I don't know, call me crazy, but maybe you could take a shower?
Whatever, I am just stoked to get any email at all, so keep those cards and letters coming. Two days in a row I got an email. Wednesday, Chimpuat sent me some mail too, so you should go to his page and read some good stuff. He knows I am a fan of The Enterprise Mission. The folks over at The Enterprise Mission always have their own little view of events in the world. They put their own perspective on the Attacks of September 11th. Now, I am not asking you to believe their views, but they do make some interesting points, and they have a hell of
a crazy story to tell. It involves Hyperdimensional Physics, the Knights of Templar, sacred geometry, ancient knowledge, ritualistic dates and numbers, Orion, Sirius, Egyptology and their tie in with the Freemasons. This is a story spanning back to the crusades and involves the Assassins, the defenders of Islam, and a spike in the less randomness of the universe at the time of the attack. According to these guys, this attack is a sign to our secrete government, that the bad guys know the ancient magic of the Freemasons. Hey, I did not say that you should believe it, but if you like weird and trippy stuff, then
check it out for sure. Just click here! Anyway, they are predicting something will happen on November 17th.
I think this will be the new trend, the trend of prediction. How many calls to the Psychic Hotline involve asking for predictions to the next attack these days? I bet it is quite a few. I mean if I was going to call the psychic hotline, you know, to find out if my girlfriend is cheating on me, then while I have them on the line, I am sure as hell going to ask when the next attack is. So, with that said, let me post a little e-mail I got today. Now, this e-mail has all the signs of a classic urban legend. Maybe even some of you got it at work today from a few people. Anyway, for what it is worth I am posting it. If it is a hoax, I am not
putting the person's contact information, since most urban legends are ways to get back at a certain person. I have cut and pasted the two main parts and took out all the email addresses. So, for what it is worth, check this out.
> Subject: Fwd:FW: stay out of the Malls on 10/31
FYI - I was very skeptical of this e-mail so I called the telephone number
and it really was Laura Katsis at work. She said that she did write and
send the e-mail in reaction to what her girlfriend told her. This could
still be a hoax, but I am taking it a little more seriously knowing that
Laura is a real person who admits writing the e-mail and who stands behind
what she wrote.
> Hi All -
I think you all know that I don't send out hoaxes and don't do the
reactionary thing and send out anything that crosses my path. This one,
however, is a friend of a friend and I've given it enough credibility in
my mind that I'm writing it up and sending it out to all of you.
My friend's friend was dating a guy from Afghanistan up until a month ago.
She had a date with him around 9/6 and was stood up. She was understandably upset
and went to his home to find it completely emptied.
On 9/10, she received a letter from her boyfriend explaining that he
wished he could tell her why he had left and that he was sorry it had to
be like that. The part worth mentioning is that he BEGGED her not to get
on any commercial airlines on 9/11 and to not to go any malls on Halloween.
As soon as everything happened on the 11th, she called the FBI and has since turned over the letter.
This is not an email that I've received and decided to pass on. This came
from a phone conversation with a long-time friend of mine last night.
I may be wrong, and I hope I am. However, with one of his warnings being
correct and devastating, I'm not willing to take the chance on the second
and wanted to make sure that people I cared about had the same information that I did.
Laura Katsis
So we have that settled, George Bush is kicking ass at kicking Afghani ass. Now, let's look at what is happening at home. It seems that the Bush Administration has used this war as an excuse to "reinforced a trend toward secrecy that characterized Bush's government from the start." It seems Bush is trying to limit information to the Congress. This is not a good thing if you did not know, since then the Bush Administration gets to do whatever they want. You can read about it all here. Actually it is fucking terrifying. I still don't trust that guy. Seriously, go read the article.
With that said, I wonder how long it will take the folks at Echelon to send the FBI after me? That is next kids, just you wait.
Maybe it is the fact that I have not been checking what is out on the Internet lately, and how everyone on the favorite links is doing.
Oh, isn't this such joyous reading! Why I think I am even boring myself, if you can imagine such a thing.
So, what to write about....
Um....
Let's see...
"So, have you ever seen that one Monty Python episode....?" And now, for something completely different.
I like house parties. You know, parties at someone's house? Kind of like that delightful movie with Kid and Play, but without the cool hair and a young Martin Lawrence?
Well, I hope these little tips serve you well at future house parties and always remember, "beer before liquor, never sicker. Liquor before beer, you're all clear".
Oh, before I forget, you need to check out dropthesoap.net. They sent me a email the other day asking for a link trade. I just checked out their site, and there is some pretty funny stuff for sure. So, go check out dropthesoap.net right now! I give it my official seal of approval, even though I have no such thing officially.
In other news, I went fishing yesterday. You know how I told you it rained for the first day the other day? Well, this weekend was insanely nice! It was at least 90 degrees at the beach, so I went ocean fishing off the shore. I caught three crabs, that were pretty big, and I could have eaten them, but I did not want to deal with them. Oh, and the fact that the Code Enforcement Officer red-tagged my dwelling, and so they took out my stove, so I could not have cooked them if I wanted to... But that is another story all together. So anyway, I caught three crabs, and I thought I was a pretty good fisherman. Then Dave said that if I tied my bait farther up the line, then maybe it would actually float and I might just catch a fish.
There is a spider crawling on my wall right now. This town breads more spiders than anywhere I have ever been. You never see the same kind twice either. Everytime you see a spider, it is always a different kind. Creeps the crap out of me kids if you must know the truth. I hate spiders. They have too many legs, fangs, and can move fast (well, wolf spiders can). Kingdom of the Spiders with William Shatener really freaked me out too. All the tarantulas and whatnot. Oh and there was Shatner himself too. He scared me also. So there you go, now you know a little more about me, and so brings us that much closer.
Oh yeah, so I did some surfing today but only had time to catch up on my favorite page, Turdpile. Seems there are some new posters on that page helping out and they all just started College. Ah, how they grow so fast! Just like 90210, the kids are off to College. So what that means to you, is there will be even more hilarity, so go check out Turdpile and relive those crazy days of College. Or, if you are in highschool, read about the drunken fun you can have at our fine secondary learning institutions. Stay in school, and soon too, you will be puking on your roommate's CD collection after a Friday night Don't forget, stay in school!
So, listen up kids. Normalcy needs to return. I am thinking of getting on a plane, now why the fares are cheap! I just saw that Alaska Airlines is offering round trip from San Jose to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for only $149! That is round trip! I just might go down there for a weekend at that price. Gotta act quick, offer ends real soon (like two weeks). So, you want to do your part? You want to do your American duty? You really want to help? Get on a fucking plane and go somewhere people! It is your civil duty. You owe it to this county and the world. I just talked to my buddy Weathermon in Jamaica yesterday. He says this tragedy will be
devastating to their country, since it they depend on tourism so much. So get on out there people. Whoop it up. Show those fuckers that their plan was nothing to us. I know it is hard to do, but you gotta. Do it for Rudy.
And on that note. The note of "getting on with things", here is a note I got from a buddy. It was an mass e-mail his brother sent to everyone that was concerned about his well being. It seems he is moving on, so we all should...
Hi all,
I apologize for taking so long to get back to everyone following the tragic
events here in NY. As I previously reported, while there are a number of
people we know who have been touched by this still unbelievable horror, we
are thankful that all immediate family and friends are safe and we
appreciate all of your e-mail and phone calls. While I have always thought
of myself as someone who is capable of remaining calm and clear-headed in
the face of trying situations, the shear magnitude of these deliberate acts
and the extent of the damage they have caused has really been overwhelming
for me, thus the delay in sending out a more detailed response to all of
your queries. It is, in fact, only now that I finally feel able to put down
in words what we have been going through these past couple of weeks, and as
it should be, I am writing this note relieved that the extent of our
personal connection to the victims has been limited, but of course thinking
primarily of those who were not as fortunate as us.
It was with a chill running down my spine that I called Shoshana from a
street corner in midtown that Tuesday morning. As I often do when the
weather is nice I got off the bus a couple of stops early to walk the rest
of the way into work and just enjoy a little down time. Needless to say,
the first thing I noticed as I started my walk downtown was dark smoke
billowing from what appeared to be the World Trade Center. For those of you
who remember the eruption of Mt. St. Helen's, on a smaller scale that is
what I was reminded of as I watched this giant plume rise, filling the sky
from the ground up. At the same time I heard a nearby car radio that was
broadcasting a report of a giant hole in one of the towers. Perhaps it was
my experience in Israel or perhaps it was the knowledge of the previous
attempt at bombing the WTC, but my thoughts instantly turned to terrorism
and I immediately called Shosh to tell her to turn on the television.
Continuing my walk toward work, it was as if nothing too serious was
happening as many commuters either seemed oblivious as to what was going on
downtown or simply thought it was, at worst, a major fire. By the time I
reached my office, where we had a view of both towers, the second tower had
been hit and was smoking. Another quick call home revealed what was really
going on and from that point the rest of the day became one of chaos.
As events unfolded and reports from DC and Pennsylvania came in and the
towers collapsed everyone's thought turned to just getting home to family.
Looking out the window the scene on the streets was reminiscent of news
footage of refugees... the streets were gridlocked and anyone who was not
stuck in a car was on foot and going one direction, uptown. Hearing reports
that all the bridges and tunnels were closed I tried to go find a police
officer to find the best way home, but of course they were all downtown and
nobody on the street knew any more than I did. After a couple of hours back
inside and trying to figure out what to do (without any internet access and
only limited phone access) I finally decided to walk the 40 blocks to my
in-laws (who were stuck outside the city) where I could at least turn on a
radio and tv and try to get a sense of what was going on.
During the walk, in spite of being pretty freaked out, three things managed
to catch my attention. The first was that the camera shops around my office
that were run by Arab-Americans all had American flags hanging from the
doors (the thought that the city could potentially become hostile hadn't
even crossed my mind... I'm happy to report that it didn't). The second
thing I noticed was that even with thousands of people on the street and
major gridlock at every intersection, there was no noise. I have never
heard so many people be so quiet. The final, and most disturbing
realization that I had while walking was just how hostage this whole city
can become. All along the street, cars had pulled over with their radios
turned up and street vendors had placed radios on their tables. With
nowhere to go and nothing else to do, large groups of people simply huddled
around these radios listening in disbelief and in shock. Upon reaching my
in-laws and turning on the TV I saw the footage of the plane hitting, the
fire and jumpers, and the collapses for the first time. I'm sure by that
time I looked like all those I had just passed on the street, like I was in
shock. I have no doubt we will all deal with the horror of those images for
a long time to come. Shortly thereafter, I was at least accorded some
personal relief as I found out one of the train lines that could get me
closer to home was running. On the way to that line I checked on my subway
(one of the lines that runs to and from the WTC) and discovered it had just
opened. I was on the first train to leave the city via that route.
In a small attempt to shorten this note suffice it to say that nobody slept
well that night. The only relief we did have was that by the time we went
to bed we knew we had not personally been effected by this tragedy. Still
the two weeks since then have been rough. First there are the victims. We
now know of many including five PwC employees (from other offices) who were
on the planes, one on vacation with his family; the immediate family members
of two of my colleagues at work; the father of one of Shosh's former
students; an acquaintance through a friend (our thoughts are with you Ravi);
and many others who touched the lives of those we know. There is also the
sister-in-law of a man I happened to make small talk with in a parking
garage, Fordham alumni, and the list just goes on. Now, like the rest of
the city, we are still waiting and hoping that the list doesn't eventually
surprise us with a name more familiar than those already mentioned.
Secondly there has been work, seemingly less significant, but still
important and necessary to complete. This was especially hard the first
week as I continually beat myself up for not just saying forget it for a day
and spending more time at home with my family. Fortunately I was saved by a
weekend and Rosh Hashanah, which together gave me an extra four days to just
stay home and hug my wife and son.
Then of course there was the week of nothing but 24-7 news coverage. It was
almost as if the local channels were afraid of returning to regular
programming for fear they would be scooped when the reality was there
unfortunately was not much to cover after the last survivors were pulled
from the wreckage on Wednesday. What they failed to realize was that NY
needed a diversion, if just for a half-an-hour. Maybe it was disrespectful
and shallow of me, but I thank Nick at Night for that half-hour of Three's
Company that I took in. Finally after a week somebody flipped the switch
and all four stations went back to semi-regular programming, but not before
all that was left on the tube were the pleas of relatives who called the
news stations asking for help in locating those who were lost. Could it
get any more heart-wrenching?
And now, we are left with the recovery. The city is not, and probably won't
be back to normal for quite some time. Some tunnels and bridges remain
closed for emergency vehicles. Midtown is even more congested as companies
from the financial district have moved north, the tourists are gone, the
traffic is awful, and people swing from extra-sweet to hell-on-wheels
depending on which way the wind blows. And of course, we are now hearing
the stories of the survivors who provide a whole new level of insight into
the chaos and panic in the WTC September 11. Stories that leave you
horrified and with no choice but to sit in stunned silence and thank
whomever you choose to thank that you did not have to live through what
these people had to live through, and what others, unfortunately, did not.
But as we are all aware, life goes on. Slowly we return to normal. There
are meetings, lunches, birthdays, deaths of a more normal nature, and of
course children. There is nothing that makes me more happy right now than
my role in this world as a husband and particularly as a father.
While at the same time it saddens me to answer your questions and relay my
thoughts and observations of the past two weeks, it gives me great hope to
look at my family, friends and colleagues everyday and realize that life
does go on. We have survived, we are resilient and hopefully, patience and
tolerance will prevail. I hope this message does not overburden anyone (and
trust me, this will be the last with a tone of this nature), and by no means
do I intend for this to be about me when so many others have suffered, but
its true intention is to thank all of you for your concern, your friendship,
and your love.
Our thoughts are with all of you and with all of those who have suffered
loss.
Brian
Yes kids, as you can see by my ramblings, we had our first rain of the season tonight. Now, some folks say that California don't got no weathur, but I say not so. See, California is sunny and warm from mid Spring thru Summer. Fall is the rainy season, sometimes an Indian summer after the first rain. Late fall and winter is rain, with another spat of nice weather at the end of Winter and ,then usually, one more rain before the sun is out all late Spring and Summer again.
That's how it usually works, however you can never predict how much rain there will be. So, what is my point? Well, Saturday was the first official day of Fall, and Monday, today, it is raining. Last week, it would have been unthinkable for there to be rain, cause it was still Summer. Today it is Fall, and it is raining. The commute is going to be a bitch tomorrow.
This shit makes everyone crazy. There are already reports coming out of San Francisco about racially motivated attacks. This sucks. The terrorists just happen to be Muslim. No way are the ways of terrorism the ways of all Muslims. Think of it this way... Just because Southern Baptists dance with rattlesnakes, does not mean all Baptists do. After you have thought about that, go read this awesome article that was in Salon the other day... I am sure you might have gotten the text in an e-mail this week entitled.."An Afghan-American Speaks". Then, when you read that, go read about how there are very valid reports from the Israelis of others at work in the global terrorist movement, which this attack is surly a plan from.
Anyway, there are reports of more attacks that were planned for this Saturday. I hope the FBI has thwarted all of them, but I don't know. All I know is that I am leaving tomorrow for a nice road trip out to northeast California. This trip has been planned for a while, but it just happens to coincide with the day that more shit is supposed to go down. So watch you back kids and be brave. And rest in the fact that I am going to visit some real live ghostowns this weekend where I will be on the look out for anything suspicious... I will bring you back some pictures.
Smoke em if you got em kids, smoke em if you got em, cause you never know what tomorrow will bring.
We ain't goin' out like that
Nikki.
Here is Elyse with her family. |
 Anyone see that Saturday Night Live skit about Santa Cruz?
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